A 21-YEAR-OLD man jailed for five years yesterday for a feud-related gun attack was himself shot in the leg as part of the same feud, a court has heard.
Aidan Cahill, Craevel Park, Moyross, Limerick, was described by gardaí as an "active participant" in a feud that began on St Patrick's Day three years ago. He pleaded guilty at Limerick Circuit Court to the reckless discharge of a firearm at a house on College Avenue, Moyross, on March 15th, 2007, and to possession of a handgun on the same date. The court heard the family living in the house had installed CCTV cameras at their home for security reasons and that Cahill was identified on camera carrying out the shooting.
Det Garda Ger Clery told the court the shooting was "particularly traumatic" for the family as one of the three shots fired by Cahill had gone through the front door and ended up embedded in a wall at the back of the kitchen.
Before imposing the five-year jail sentence, Judge Carroll Moran said the discharging of a firearm three times into a house with four people inside was "a very serious matter", even if the defendant only intended frightening the occupants. According to Garda evidence the shooting was in retaliation for another incident linked to a feud which began on March 17th, 2005 and which has resulted in a number of incidents, including the discharge of firearms, criminal damage and assaults.
Cahill was shot in the leg in a gun attack in March 2006 and three people are currently serving sentences for this offence, the court heard.
At the sentencing hearing yesterday Judge Moran said these three men had initially been jailed for three years at Limerick Circuit Court, but their sentences were later increased by the Court of Criminal Appeal to seven years in the case of two of the men, and six years in the case of the third.
"This is a serious case and the Court of Criminal Appeal in the other case I have referred to has set down a marker as to how these cases should be dealt with," said Judge Moran. "It is essential in any society where there are rules of law that there is discipline in a system, and that judges of inferior courts obey the directions of the superior courts."
The court also heard that Cahill's mother's home had been targeted on a number of occasions and her windows had been broken four or five times as part of the feud. According to Garda evidence the mother blames her son for the troubles that have fallen on her and she does not want him residing with her anymore.
Meanwhile, a 14-year-old boy who was stopped by gardaí in Limerick driving a car and wearing a bulletproof vest was still being questioned last night in connection with a shooting in the city.
He was arrested but released into the custody of his mother just hours before a shooting at a house in the St Mary's Park estate at 6.15am on Wednesday. Five hours later the boy was again arrested along with a 19-year-old on suspicion of carrying out a shooting at St Munchin's Street.
In a separate investigation, four men and one woman were being questioned by gardaí at Henry Street Garda station in Limerick yesterday after drugs valued at almost €200,000 were discovered hidden in the fuel tank of a car.
The car was stopped on Wednesday afternoon on the Balllysimon Road, Limerick, and a search of the vehicle revealed a hidden tank with 18kg of herbal cannabis inside.